Keeping the Faith

On the woman within 6 seconds of the 4 minute mile 

Last month, Faith Kipyegon, the genius Kenyan runner, made a concerted effort to become the first woman to break the 4 minute barrier for the mile. It was Paris in springtime and a glee club of supporters egged her on, with the legendary Carl Lewis leading the band. 

Took me back to when my dad, then doing a military course in Surrey, said come with me to Oxford to see a race. I refused, saying I wanted to watch Cisco Kid on the telly. But at six years I didn’t have much clout and very soon we were into the one hour drive to Iffley Park, a father trying to explain the joys of athletics to a pouting child.

I love to say that I was part of history that day when Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute barrier. But instead of being riveted by the magical moment we were about to witness that would be counted right up there with Tenzing and Hillary, Eliud Kipchoge, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Roger Federer and Usain Bolt, I was thinking about what Cisco Kid was doing in this sorely missed episode. 

In the telling and retelling of the story over the years I have sanitised it and widened its scope. No fault of the listener if he believes that I was there at the finishing line to welcome Roger Bannister, along with his pacers Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher, and that the hero of the hour caught his breath and then lifted me up in his arms in the moment of triumph. Truth be told there was much screaming and shouting and for the crowd of officials and others surrounding him he could hardly be seen and at six years when you are sulking 4 minute miles come well below an ice lolly in order of precedence. Actually, 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.

Still, I guess I was there when sports history was being made. And last month too, with millions of people all around the world glued to YouTube, the exuberance and joyousness of pure sport, the singular courage and daring do of athletics, and the art and science of going that one bridge further and breaking the record were in focus. Faith lopped a whole second of her personal best and is now six seconds short of the barrier. She will do it one day soon, never mind Cisco Kid. 

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